Rochester Public Library/Local History & Genealogy Division

One of the joys of working in the Local History & Genealogy Division has been the discovery of Rochester’s rich publishing history. From small presses to numerous newspapers, it’s one more point of pride for our diverse metropolis. This Forgotten Serials series of the Division’s blog will give us a chance to highlight some periodicals in the collection that haven’t seen the light of day in ages, while creating some valuable cultural footnotes in the process.

First up, we introduce a not-so-antique publication for the later 90s, when Mike Cidoni, former movie critic for the Times-Union, took a stab at competing with Freetime for the local entertainment listings market. Behold The One, “Rochester’s Entertainment Magazine,” which, like its counterparts, could be found in taverns, vestibules, and on freebie shelves citywide. Unlike City, The One‘s emphasis was strictly on entertainment; unlike Freetime, it emphasized articles over listings. Like its brethren, it was a good quick read with a beer and a handy reference during each issue’s monthly shelf life. It only endured from 1997 to 1999 before heading to the great paper beyond, but it was, as they say, fun while it lasted.

Here’s the cover to volume 2, number 10 (July 1998):

On a personal note, and one of my reasons for resurrecting this particular publication, is my own involvement with it. I got to write a column for The One on local music, being paid the princely sum of ten dollars per article. (Mike was not a cheap man by any means, he was just working on a shoestring.) The article below, from the above issue, was my first, and Cherry Gun, now obscured by the sands of time, remain just as dear to my heart as they did back then. (Click on file to make bigger.)

You can probably find bits of Cherry Gun on some corner of the interwebs to this day. (P.S. The radio show referenced at the bottom is still on the air all these years later, too! (Some of the clubs haven’t survived, though.)

Check out future installments for more Forgotten Serials of Rochester’s past, and check out the Local History Division for a look-see as well.

—-Bob Scheffel, Librarian, Local History Division (and host of the Spotlight Review)

There are too many to list here, especially all the newspapers that were published (we had five daily papers at one point!). We’ll do our best to cover some, but if you can stop in sometime, we can certainly help you look.